Railroad ballast dresser



A ril 28, 1942.

w. E. HAIST ETAL 2,281,491

RAILROAD BALLAST DRESSER Filed May 9, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l I e r N I K) v g l I X l vfllaisf pi rfzomafi Ap 1942- w. E. HAIST ET AL 2,281,491

RAILROAD BALLA S T DRES 5 ER Filed May 9, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 a won MS wit/1&8;

q Thomar I} f Patented Apr. 28, 1942 UNITED RAILROAD BALLAST DRESSER Wade E. Haist, Aurora, 111., and Pernal F. Thomas, La Crosse, Wis.

Application May 9, 1940, Serial No. 334,248

8 Claims. (cl. 37-405) This invention relates to railway track maintenance equipment and pertains particularly to improvements in apparatus for smoothing off or leveling ballast at the sides of such tracks.

The present invention has'for its primary object to provide a ballast smoothing or dressing mechanism by means of which ballast on both sides of a trackway will be smoothed out so as to leave a finished line at the lower edge thereof and forming a windrow of ballast along the ends of the railway ties for use in filling in or completing the ballast distribution or dressing, which operation may be conveniently performed by hand labor.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved ballast dresser carried upon a car support which is constructed to provide at the outer side of a vertically arranged scraper plate, a box-like unit formed to receive piled up or surplus ballast and to cause such surplus ballast to be carried inwardly toward the track and left in a windrow along the ends of the ties.

'Still another object is to provide a railroad ballast dresser mounted upon a supporting rubble car, which comprises laterally extending vertically disposed forming and scraping plates maintained in operative position upon outriggers and adapted to be raised and lowered so as to facilitate working the ballast at the proper elevation with respect to the track and ties.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of the apparatus embodying the present invention and the supporting rubble car therefor.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a view looking downwardly upon one of the scraper blades showing the manner in which it is mounted upon the vertical standards of the outrigger structure, the view being a horizontal section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fi 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fi 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

- Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 oi Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral I designates the rails of a trackway supported in the usual manner upon the cross ties 2 and supporting a rubble car of the type upon which the present mechanism is designed to be mounted, such car having the usual flat top 3. At the sides of the trackway are the banks or shoulders 4 of the ballast material.

In accordance with the present invention, the floor of the car body 3 has secured. thereto, upon each side, theoutwardly extending pair of spaced parallel beams 5, such beams being preferably of angle iron and each having a flange .6 lying fiat upon the floor of the car and the other flange I disposed vertically and in spaced parallel relation with the corresponding flange of the adjacent beam. Clamps or securing brackets 8 are fastened to the floor of the car body to extend across -the horizontal flanges of the laterally extending beams so as to hold the same rigidly in, position and extending a substantial distance be,- yond the sides of the car in the manner illustrat.- ed in Fig. 1. Obviously any other suitable means may be employed for securing these horizontal.

beams in position and each pair of such beams constitutes a laterally extending supporting arm for the other parts of the structure as will be hereinafter more specifically described.

Secured vertically at the outer end of each supporting arm is a standard or vertical support indicated generally by the numeralfl and consisting of two angle beams l0, each of which extends across an end of a beam 5 and is secured thereto so as to have one flange extending parallel with the side of a car and the other flange extending inwardly along the inner side of the flange 1 of the supporting beam 5. Thus each standard presents the laterally directed flat faces of two angle iron flanges which are indicated by the numeral H and the other, two flanges of such angle irons, being indicated by the numeral H, are directed'inwardly. These angle irons II! are in spaced parallel relation as shown in Fig. 2, and they support between their upper ends a pulley sheave l3 which is mounted .upon a shaft. M which extends across between the spaced flanges l2.

Extending inwardly and downwardly from the upper ends of each of the standard angle beams in is a brace beam I5 and each two adjacent brace beams l5 supports a cable drum I6 with which is connected a suitable handle I! bywhich it may be rotated. I

In addition to the inwardly and downwardly extending brace beams I by which each of the vertical standards is supported at the outer ends of the lateral arms, there is provided for each standard a forwardly and downwardly extending brace beam N3, the lower end of which may be secured in any suitable manner as by welding or the like to a beam [9 extending transversely of the car body, as shown in Fig. 2. The standards 9 at thetwoside's of the car together with the laterally extending arms constituted by the pairs of beams 5, provide an outrigger structure, with respect to the car body, upon which is carried erally by the numeral 20. Each of these units 2|) comprises a plate 2| which has a lower edge any other suitable manner. The other end of this link is connected in one of a number of apertures 29 formed in the adjacent side of the car body at the forward end thereof. As shown in Fig. 2, when the plate 2| is in perpendicular relation with the track, the turnbuckle arm will be engaged at its forward end in a rear one or the rearmost one of the apertures 29 and, of course, when the plate is swung forwardly, the end of the arm will be engaged in one of the forward apertures and by means of this arm, the plate will be held rigidly in working position as the car moves forward. Thus upon forward the ballast dressing unit which is indicated genwhich is formed to provide the longitudinally arcuate blade 22 which extends from the inner vertical edge of the plate 2| outwardly and downwardly to a point at substantially the vertical center of the plate and an outer edge portion which extends straight as indicated at 23, from the outer end of the blade portion 22 upwardly and outwardly to the outside vertical edge of the plate. This plate 2| is maintained in verticalposition as'shown in Fig. l, at the outer side of a standard 9 and extending outwardly therefrom or in a plane perpendicular to the trackway so that the slightly concave edge of the blade 22 extends outwardly and downwardly from the track over the ballast body 4. The disposition of the standards Swith respect to the car is such that they will be arranged substantiallyover the outer ends of the ties thus 10- cating each plate 2| in a position where it will clear the'ends of the ties when it is lowered into engagement with the ballast.

The lower portion of the plate 2| is curved slightly as is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4, so that the point of the plate which occurs at the meetingends of the edges 22 and 23, is directed slightly forwardly or in the direction of movement of the car, as shown in Fig. 2. This curvature assists in rolling the ballast material toward the track in cooperation with the box structure carried by'the plate and hereinafter specifically described. e

The oppositely directed flanges ll of the angle beams -I ll of e'ach'pair of standards, provide guide tracks for guide brackets 24. These brackets 24 are inopposed pairs and have the beams I0 disposed therebetween as is clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. These brackets are hingedly joined by vertical pintles 24' with securing straps 25 which are attached horizontally to the faces of each of the plates 2|. This permits the plate to be oscillated on a vertical axis forwardly or rearwardly as desired.

In order to facilitate the raising and lowering of the units 20, each 'platehas attached thereto an end of a cable 26 which extends upwardly and overthe adjacent pulley l3 and then passes downwardly to the drum I 6 on which it is wound.

The working angle of each of the plates 2| may be changed from a right angle with respect to the track to a forwardly extending positifon whereby the advantage is obtained that the ballast materialcan be rolled'toward the track. As previously stated, this effect is further facilitated by the forward curving of the lower edge of the plate.

The units-2|] areheld in their adjusted position bymeans of the turnbuckle'arm or link 21 which has one end pivotally coupled with the front side of the plate 2| by means of an eye 28 or in movement of the car, the blade will scrape over the ballast material and smooth out the same and also work it inwardly toward the track so as to form a windrow along the ends of the ties.

It will also be readily apparent that because of the use ofthe turnbuckle arm or link, the plate may be readily raised and lowered as may be desirable or necessary to obtain the most eflicient operation.

In order that the ballast may be piled up in a windrow across the endsof the ties, each plate 2| has an inwardly opening box-like structure upon its forward face and at its lowerouter edge. Such unit is indicated generally by the numeral 39 and comprises a forwardly directed inwardly and downwardly extending wall 3| at thelower edge 23 of the plate, and a forwardly directed vertical wall 32 which extends upwardly from the outer edge of the inclined wall 3|, along the vertical outer edge of the plate as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. These walls are braced by the brace rod 33 which issecured at one end in the vertical wall 32 of the box, adjacent the forward edge thereof, and extends obliquely inwardly toward and is attached at its other end to the plate 2|.

By the provision of the ballast receiving box 30 upon. the forward side of the blade plate 2|, and by the provision of the inwardly and downwardly sloping bottom wall for such box, it will be readily seen that as the blade or dresser is moved along over the ballast and scrapes up such ballast, the surplus of the ballast which piles up against the face of the plate will be received in the box upon the bottom wall 3|. As the ballast piles up upon this wall, it will tend to be fed inwardly toward the ends of the ties, due to the inward and downward inclination or slope of the wall. Thus as the convex scraping edge 22 of the plate smooths out the ballast shoulder at the side of the track, the excess ballast material which piles up against the face of the plate will be fed inwardly toward the top of the slope and left in a windrow along the track line and extending across the ends of the ties, available to be used for filling in between the ties.

While there has been shown and described-a plate having an arcuate-lower edge and a box structure upon one face thereof, there may be substituted for this unit a plate having a straight lower edge and not having the box attached posite from the carrier, said 'plate "having a shaped lower edge forming a dressing blade -'ex-' tending through a portion of the extent of the plates lower edge, to give a desired surface contour to the ballast, and means at the outer end of said dressing blade and extending inwardly from said end for collecting the ballast material and causing the same to move inwardly across the face of the blade toward the said supporting structure.

2. A railway ballast dresser, comprising a plate member adapted to be disposed vertically when in operating position at the side of a trackway, means for maintaining the plate vertical and extending outwardly from such track and for moving the plate lengthwise of the track, said plate having an outwardly and downwardly extending lower ballast shaping blade, said blade extending from the inner vertical edge of the plate through only a part of the width of the plate, and means upon the advancing face of the plate extending from the outer end of the blade edge portion to the outer vertical edge of the plate for picking up and effecting the working of ballast material inwardly to be smoothed over by said shaping edge.

3. A railway ballast material dresser, comprising in combination with a supporting car, a carrier structure attached to the car and supported outwardly from one side thereof, a plate disposed upon the outer side of the carrier structure from the car and arranged to extend perpendicularly to the side of the car, means coupling the plate with the carrier structure, said plate having a convexly curved lower edge portion extending from its inner edge downwardly toward the outer edge thereof and through only a part of the width of the plate, and a box-like structure carried upon the working face of the plate adjacent the vertical outer edge thereof and comprising a vertical forwardly projecting wall extending along said vertical outer edge, and an inwardly and downwardly extending forwardly projecting wall connected at its outer end with the vertical wall and terminating at its inner end at the outer end of said curved edge.

4. A railway ballast dresser, comprising a plate designed to be vertically disposed at the outer side of a trackway and extending perpendicularly with respect to the track, the plate being movable longitudinally of the track while extending perpendicularly thereto, said plate having a portion of its bottom edge from the inner vertical edge of the plate formed to provide a scraping blade which extends downwardly toward the outer vertical edge of the plate, the remaining part of the bottom edge of the plate extending outwardly and upwardly, a ballast receiving box upon one side face of the plate, having a vertical wall disposed adjacent the outer vertical edge of the plate, and a bottom Wall extending from the vertical wall downwardly and inwardly along the lower edge of the said remaining edge portion of the plate.

5. A railway ballast dresser, comprising in combination with a car structure, a laterally extending arm carried by the car structure, a vertical standard secured at the outer end of the arm comprising a pair of spaced angle iron beams having oppositely directed flanges forming guide flanges, a pulley mounted at the upper ends of and between said beams, a plate disposed vertically at the outer side of the standard from the car structure and extending perpendicularly to the adjacent side of the car structure, a, pair of spaced members carried by the plate and engaging said guide flanges to maintain the plate rigidly in said perpendicular relation with the car structure and to facilitate vertical movement of the plate on the standard, a cable connected at one end with the plate and passing upwardly over said pulley, a wind-up drum supported upon the car structure and having said cable connected therewith, an adjustable brace means between the outer portion of the plate and the car structure, and said plate having a lower edge formed to provide a ballast engaging dressing blade.

6. A ballast dresser designed to be moved along the side of a railway track, comprising a plate member of substantial height and width, the plate member when in operative relation with a trackway being vertically disposed and extending perpendicularly outwardly therefrom, said plate member having the lower edge thereof of longitudinally arcuate form from the inner vertical edge of the plate part way through the width of the plate to form a ballast shaping blade, the lower edge of said plate from the end of the blade remote from the inner vertical edge of the plate extending at an angle upwardly toward the vertical outer edge of the plate, said plate having the portion of the lower part thereof lying between said blade and the angled outer portion of the lower edge curved forwardly and in the direction of movement of the plate, a forwardly extending wall secured to the forward or advancing face of the plate along said angled edge, a vertical forwardly extending wall disposed along the vertical outer edge of the plate and joining the first-mentioned wall, said walls forming a material receiving box, the said firstmentioned wall sloping downwardly and inwardly from the vertical outer edge of the plate and functioning to shift ballast material collected in said box in the advancing movement of the plate, inwardly toward the trackway.

'7. A ballast dresser designed to be moved along the side of a railway track, comprising a plate member of substantial height and width, the plate member when in operative relation with the trackway being vertically disposed and extending outwardly from the trackway, said plate member having the lower edge thereof extending downwardly from the inner vertical edge of the plate part way through the width of the plate to form a ballast shaping blade, and then extending upwardly and outwardly toward the vertical outer edge of the plate, the said plate having the portion thereof lying between the two angularly related lower edges bent to curve forwardly and in the direction of movement of the plate.

8. In a ballast dresser of the character set in claim '7, means extending along the upwardly and outwardly directed lower edge of the plate and extending forwardly from the advancig face of the plate providing an inwardly sloping receiver for ballast material and operating to cause such material to move by gravity inwardly toward the outwardly and downwardly inclined lower edge of the plate.

WADE E. HAIST. PERNAL F. THOMAS. 

